Fierement, ( ja, フィエールマン, link=no, foaled 20 January 2015) is a Japanese

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse. Unraced as a juvenile he won his first two starts as a three-year-old before running second in the

Radio Nikkei Sho The Radio Nikkei Sho (Japanese ラジオNIKKEI賞) is a Grade 3 horse race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run in late June or early July over a distance of 1800 metres at Fukushima Racecourse. The race was first run in 1952 and was promoted to ...

and the winning the

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by re ...

Kikuka Sho on his final appearance of the year. In the following spring he finished runner-up in the

American Jockey Club Cup The American Jockey Club Cup (Japanese アメリカジョッキークラブカップ) is a Grade 2 horse race in for Thoroughbred colts and fillies aged four and over run over a distance of 2,200 metres at Nakayama Racecourse. This races is for ...

before recording his second Grade 1 success in the spring edition of the

Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade I races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...

. As a five-year-old in 2020 he repeated his success in the spring Tenno Sho, ran second in the autumn edition of the same race and finished third in the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

Background

Fierement is a bay horse with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his hind legs bred in Japan by Northern Farm. The horse entered the ownership of Sunday Racing and was sent into training with Takahisa Tezuka. He was from the eighth crop of foals sired by Deep Impact, who was the

Japanese Horse of the Year The Japanese Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in Japanese thoroughbred horse racing. It is awarded annually by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Since 1987 the honor has been part of the JRA Awards. This award originally started as p ...

in 2005 and 2006, winning races including the

Tokyo Yushun Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

and

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

. Deep Impact's other progeny include

Gentildonna is a retired Japanese thoroughbred racehorse. In 2012 she won the Japanese Fillies Triple Crown and was voted Japanese Horse of the Year. She was also the first three-year-old filly to win the Japan Cup, in 2012, and the following year became th ...

Harp Star Harp Star ( ja, ハープスター, link=no, foaled 24 April 2011) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the leading two-year-old fillies in Japan in 2013 when she won the Niigata Nisai Stakes and was narrowly beaten in the Hansh ...

Kizuna is a Japanese word meaning "bond". It may also refer to: Music * ''Kizuna'' (album), a 2022 album by JO1 * "Kizuna" (Aya Matsuura song) * "Kizuna" (Aya Ueto song) * "Kizuna" (Orange Range song) * "Kizuna", a song from the anime Mermaid Melody Pich ...

A Shin Hikari A Shin Hikari (Japanese エイシンヒカリ, foaled 3 May 2011) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. He began his racing career as a three-year-old in 2014 when he won his first five races including the Listed Ireland Trophy. In the following ...

, Marialite and

Saxon Warrior Saxon Warrior (foaled 26 January 2015) is a Japanese-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2017 he was one of the best colts of his generation in Europe, winning all three of his races including the Beresford Stakes ...

. Fierement's dam Lune d'Or was a top class racehorse in Europe, winning the

Prix de Malleret The Prix de Malleret is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

Prix de Pomone The Prix de Pomone is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4½ fur ...

and

Premio Lydia Tesio The Premio Lydia Tesio is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Capannelle over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each ye ...

. In December 2010 she was sold at auction for €750,000 to Katsumi Yoshida and exported to Japan. Lune d'Or's dam Luth d'Or was a half sister to

Luth Enchantee Luth Enchantee (foaled 1980) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was named the best horse in Europe over one mile in 1983. Her early career was undistinguished, as she won one minor event in her first eight races. In the summer ...

Racing career

2018: three-year-old season

Fierement did not race as a two-year-old, beginning his track career on 28 January 2018 when he won an event for previously unraced three-year-olds over 1800 metres at

Tokyo Racecourse is located in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has a capacity of 223,000, with seating for 13,750. Tokyo Racecourse hosts numerous G1 (Grade 1) r ...

. Over the same distance at

Nakayama Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 165,676. It was built in 1990. Physical attributes Nakayama Race Course has two grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's measures 1840 ...

in April he won again as he took the Yamafuji Sho, beating Nishino Baseman and nine others. On 1 July the colt was stepped up in class and started the 1.5/1 favourite for the Grade 3

over 1800 metres at

Fukushima Racecourse is a horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all s ...

. Ridden by Shu Ishibashi he raced towards the rear of the field and turned into the straight last of the thirteen runners. He made rapid late progress overtaking all but one of his rivals to finish second, half a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

behind the winner Meishi Tekkon. Takahisa Tezuka later commented that the colt was unsuited by the track. After a break of three and a half months Fierement returned in the Grade 1 Kikuka Sho over 3000 metres at

Kyoto Racecourse is located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 120,000. It was built in 1999. History Kyoto Race Course opened on December 1, 1925. In preparation for the track's 100th anniversary ...

on 21 October in which he was ridden by

Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:, born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years sinc ...

and started at odds of 13.5/1 in an eighteen-runner field.

Blast Onepiece Blast Onepiece, ( ja, ブラストワンピース, link=no, foaled 2 April 2015) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning his only start as a two-year-old he improved to become the best colt of his generation in Japan in the following ...

started favourite, while the other contenders included Etario, Epoca d'Oro, Generale Uno ( St Lite Kinen), Meisho Tekkon, Grail ( Kyoto Nisai Stakes), Time Flyer (

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

) and Stay Foolish (

Kyoto Shimbun Hai The Kyoto Shimbun Hai (Japanese 京都新聞杯) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2200 metres at Kyoto Racecourse in May. The Kyoto Shimbun Hai was first run in 1953 ...

). Generale Uno set a steady pace from Kafuji Vanguard and Cosmic Force with Fierement settled in seventh place before threading his way through the field as the runners fanned out on the final turn. Etario, ridden by Mirco Demuro, hit the front in the straight but Fierement joined him 200 metres and got the better of a closely contested finish to win by a nose. After the race Lemaire said "I had confidence in him as he felt good during the training. We briefly met traffic in the straight but my mount stretched really well with his bursting kick. I congratulated Mirco right after crossing the wire, thinking that we had lost, so it's unbelievable that we were able to win the race". In the

2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2018 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities The Long ...

Fierement was rated the 21st best three-year-old colt in the world and the 118th best horse of any age or sex.

2019: four-year-old season

On his four-year-old debut Fierement was made the odds-on favourite for the Grade 2

over 2200 metres at Nakayama on 20 January. With Lemaire in the saddle he raced in mid-division before finishing strongly, but failed by a head to catch the six-year-old Sciacchetra. Tezuka said that the horse had returned from the race with a "slight fever". On 28 April the colt contested the spring edition of the Tenno Sho over 3200 metres at Kyoto: it was the 159th running of the race (which is run twice a year) and the last of the

Heisei era The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...

. He was made the 1.8/1 favourite ahead of his old rival Etario, while the other eleven runners included You Can Smile (

Diamond Stakes The Diamond Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Dundalk over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 150 yards (2,149 metres), an ...

), Clincher (

Kyoto Kinen Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the city ...

), Meisho Tekkon, Glory Vase (

Nikkei Shinshun Hai The Nikkei Shinshun Hai Japanese 日経新春杯} is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds of at least four years of age. It is a handicap race run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Kyoto Racecourse in January. The Nikk ...

) and Perform A Promise (

Copa Republica Argentina The Copa Republica Argentina (Japanese language, Japanese アルゼンチン共和国杯) is a Conditions races, Grade 2 Handicap (horse racing), handicap Horse racing, horse race for Thoroughbred Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies aged three ...

). The outsider Vosges set the pace from Lord Vent d'Or and Meisho Tekkon with settling in seventh place until Lemaire made a forward move and sent the favourite into the lead on the final turn. He was soon joined by Glory Vase on the outside and the pair drew away from the field to engage in a sustained struggle over the last 400 metres before Fierement prevailed by a neck. There was a gap of six lengths back to Perform A Promise who took third place. Lemaire commented "It was a tough race to win but Fierement really showed his strength. He was able to relax early on which is important in a long-distance race like this... He's improving with every race". In the

Sapporo Kinen The Sapporo Kinen (Japanese 札幌記念) is a Grade 2 Handicap horse race for Thoroughbreds aged three and over run in August over a distance of 2,000 metres at Sapporo Racecourse. It was first run in 1965 and was promoted to Grade 3 in 1984. Th ...

over 2000 metres at

Sapporo Racecourse is located in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. It was built in 1907 for horse racing use. It has 12,000 seats, with a capacity of 30,000. Sapporo Racecourse hosts one GII (Grade 2) race, the Sapporo Kinen. Physical attributes Main turf cou ...

on 18 August Fierement started the 1.3/1 favourite but despite making strong progress in the straight he was unable to catch the leaders and finished third behind

and Sungrazer. The colt was then sent to Europe to contest the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

over 2400 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

on 6 October. Racing on very soft ground he tracked the leaders before dropping out of contention in the last 600 metres and came home last of the twelve runners after being eased down by Lemaire in the closing stages. On his final appearance of the season Fierement contested the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

over 2500 metres at Nakayama on 22 December in which he was ridden by Kenichi Ikezoe and finished fourth behind

Lys Gracieux Lys Gracieux ( ja, 'リスグラシュー, link=no, foaled 18 January 2014) is a champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she showed top-class form, winning two of her four starts (including the Artemis Stakes) and fi ...

Saturnalia Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple ...

and

World Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

. In January 2020, at the

JRA Award The is given annually since 1987 by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) to the outstanding horses and people in Japanese Thoroughbred horse racing. The awards originally started as the in 1954 and since 1972 the {{Nihongo, Yūshun Awards, 優駿賞 ...

s for 2019, Fierement finished fourth to Win Bright, Indy Champ and

Suave Richard Suave Richard ( ja, スワーヴリチャード, link=no, foaled 10 March 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2019 Japan Cup. He showed promising form as a juvenile in 2016 when he won one of his three races and ...

in the poll to determine Best Older Male Horse.

2020: five-year-old season

On his first run as a five-year-old on 3 May 2020 Fierement, with Lemaire in the saddle, attempted to become the fifth horse after

Mejiro McQueen Mejiro McQueen (Japanese : メジロマックイーン, April 3, 1987 - April 3, 2006) was a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a late-maturing horse who did not emerge as a top-class performer until the autumn of his three-year-o ...

T M Opera O T M Opera O ( ja, テイエムオペラオー, link=no, March 13, 1996 – May 2018) was a champion Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, and was the world's all-time leading money earner at the time of his retirement in 2001. In 1999, he was the ...

, Fenomeno and Kitasan Black to win consecutive runnings of the spring Tenno Sho. In a race run behind closed doors owing to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic. he went off the 1/1 favourite against thjirteen opponents including You Can Smile, Kiseki (2017 Kikuka Sho), Mikki Swallow (

Nikkei Sho The Nikkei Sho (Japanese 日経賞) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds of at least four years of age. It is run over a distance of 2,500 metres at Nakayama Racecourse in March. The Nikkei Sho was first run in 1953 ...

), Mozu Bello (

), Etario, Danburite (

), Meisho Tengen ( Yayoi Sho) and

Stiffelio ''Stiffelio'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The origin of this was the novel ''Le pasteur d’hommes'', by Émile Souvestre, which was published in 1838. This was adapted into the F ...

(

Mile Championship The Mile Championship is an International Grade I flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,600 metres (approximately 1 mile) on the turf at Kyoto Racecourse in November. It was first run in 1984 ...

). The favourite settled towards the rear as Kiseki set the pace from Danburite and Stiffelio and was still only seventh on the final turn but produced a sustained run on the outside and caught Stiffelio in the final strides to win by a nose. After the race Lemiare said "The pace was ideal and I was almost sure it would be an easy win for us, but he wasn't focused at times, so as it turned out we had to fight hard to the line. But in spite of the long distance and the wide draw, he was unhurried earlier in the race and had the strength left to charge home the way he did—everything went well. I'm thankful to the fans rooting for us at home. I look forward to seeing them in the stands very soon." After the summer break Fierement returned to the track for the autumn edition of the Tenno Sho over 2000 metres at Tokyo on 1 November and started the 16.4/1 fifth choice in a twelve-runner field. The horse had been scheduled to reappear in the

Sankei Sho All Comers The Sankei Sho All Comers (Japanese オールカマー) is a Grade 2 horse race for Thoroughbreds aged three and over run in September over a distance of 2,200 metres at Nakayama Racecourse. It was first run in 1955 and was promoted to Grade 3 in ...

at Nakayama in September but was found to be running a high temperature in training and was withdrawn from the race. Fierement raced towards the rear of the field and struggled to obtain a clear run early in the straight but produced a very strong late run to take second place, half a length behind

Almond Eye Almond Eye (Japanese アーモンドアイ, foaled 10 March 2015) is a champion Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown in 2018, and holds a world record over 2,400 meters on turf. She is also a two-time winn ...

and a neck in front of the third-place

Chrono Genesis Chrono Genesis ( ja, クロノジェネシス, link=no, foaled 6 March 2016) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Japan when she won her first two races including the Ivy Stakes and then ran a clo ...

. On 27 December Fierement started the 2.5/1 second favourite for the

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

over 2500 metres at Nakayama. After racing in second place behind the pace-setter Babbitt he took the lead entering the straight but was immediately challenged by Chrono Genesis. A sustained struggle ensued and after the Chrono Genesis gained the advantage in the final strides Fierement lost second place on the line to fast-finishing outsider Salacia. In January 2021 Fierement was voted Best Older Male Horse at the

s for 2020. In the

2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2020 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities The Long ...

, Fierement was rated on 123, making him the equal fifteenth best racehorse in the world.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2015 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Japan Racehorses trained in Japan Thoroughbred family 20-d